Best of 2013: Film

Well, I got an Odeon points card as I said I would last year. Bit of a waste of time because I only went to the cinema a few times this year! I missed all the big blockbusters during the spring and summer, so I'm kind of just catching up as the DVD's are released. I've definitely been more into television this year but you'll know this if you've ever read any of my posts. 

Film

Lincoln

Zero Dark Thirty 

Warm Bodies

Wreck-It Ralph

Identity Thief

Iron Man 3

Elysium

The Crash Reel

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Frozen

Notable mentions: American Hustle; Oz: The Great and Powerful; How I Live Now; Now You See Me

Yes, you're reading correctly, Les Miserables did not make the list. I've made peace with it over Christmas, as I've realised I enjoy dipping in and out whilst it's on the movie channel. However, in the cinema, I found it a little too long for my liking. Also, can we just talk about the big blockbusters? I found Star Trek Into Darkness a little tiring too. For some reason, it didn't have the fun and easiness of the first one. The Great Gatsby just didn't work for me - really, really, really disliked the soundtrack and found it distracting. It looked great though. Speaking of looking great and not much else...Man of Steel. What was up with that?! It was like a really long prologue - nothing happened! All style, no substance, which was a shame because the cast was excellent, as was the score; I just wish they had something to work with. 

Score or Soundtrack

Frozen - Score by Christophe Beck, Soundtrack by Various

From the first note to the very last, this was a lively, engaging, touching, beautiful score and soundtrack. An instant Disney classic. There were echoes of Wicked, which I loved and I'm sure people will be singing 'Do You Want To Build A Snowman?' for many Christmases to come. Oh and yay for Christophe Beck! I will find the sheet music to Jazz It Up from Charlie Bartlett one day...

American Hustle - Score by Danny Elfman, Soundtrack by Various (music supervisor Susan Jacobs)

The soundtrack really elevated the film and helped with the pacing. I definitely felt like doing a bit of seat dancing in the cinema, so as soon as I got home, I plugged into the soundtrack. There's an interesting piece on The Huffington Post with Susan Jacobs about how and why each piece was chosen.

Zero Dark Thirty by Alexandre Desplat

I already talked about this score here. Definitely one of the most atmospheric scores of the year. 

Man of Steel by Hans Zimmer

Whilst I had reservations about the film, the score was brilliant! It belonged to a completely different film and I'm sad that the film wasn't better because coupled with this score it could've been something special. I love the echoes of John Williams' iconic Superman theme but I also love that Hans Zimmer didn't bring it back. This is definitely the score for a modern day Superman film. It's much brighter than the Nolan Batman scores but in a similar vein. Some people probably complained that it was too loud but come on...it's Hans Zimmer! What did you expect?

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Soundtrack by Various

I wasn't that keen on the score (although I do love the Capitol/ President Snow/ official stuff theme that crops up every now and then). The companion soundtrack was excellent though, making it two years in a row for The Hunger Games. I spoke about it here but Elastic Heart and Atlas are still the standout tracks for me. Atlas is perfect, perfect, perfect for Katniss.


Now tell me, what were your favourite films and soundtracks this year?